When Grote saw the one-sided massacre below, his sharp, hawk-like gaze locked onto the tallest Cyclops beneath him. After severing the Whispering Bat's head with a single sword strike, he leapt down from the hundred-blade-high sky.
Below him was Kosso, the Level 15 Cyclops Lord.
Kosso sensed something and jerked his head upward, locking eyes with Grote midair.
Feeling the immense pressure from Grote's aura, Kosso showed no fear. Instead, his eye gleamed with excitement.
This was the first time the Cyclopes were fighting for Dawn City—they had to win.
Only honor could earn respect.
During his time in Dawn City, Kosso had fallen in love with this place—this city where he no longer had to worry about starving or being attacked by terrifying Magical Beasts.
This city was now his home.
And today, he fought for Dawn City!
Grote's eyes flashed with a cold light, gripping his sword with both hands midair.
The broad, silver-white sword, two palms wide, was a weapon passed down from his ancestors, sharp enough to cleave through a dragon's scales.
The distance of over a hundred blades closed in an instant.
With the help of gravitational acceleration, Grote's body was filled with an explosive, raging force.
As Grote approached, Kosso raised his massive pure-iron spiked club and swung it—
As if playing baseball.
But Grote had no way to retreat.
The greatsword swung down in a leaping slash.
He simultaneously activated the warrior skills—Leap Slash and Challenge—his body bursting with tremendous power, the higher the jump, the greater the explosive force.
Boom!
A tremendous collision echoed out.
The very air seemed to ripple with shockwaves.
Kosso's enormous spiked club was cleaved cleanly in two by Grote's greatsword.
Without slowing, Grote continued his descent, using his falling momentum to strike directly at Kosso's torso.
The Cyclops, though immensely powerful, lacked flexibility. At this moment, he couldn't dodge at all.
Screeeeech.
A piercing screech tore through the air.
Kosso's full-body armor was sliced apart.
A massive wound split from his chest down to his abdomen.
Blood sprayed out.
Driven mad by the searing pain, Kosso swung the half-broken spiked club with all his strength toward Grote.
Grote had barely touched the ground when he was struck—he had no time to react.
Boom!
Splurt!
Only now did Grote truly feel the terrifying strength of the Ancient Giant-blooded Cyclops Lord.
The blow hurled Grote over a hundred blades away. He smashed through two massive trees before crashing into the ground, dragging a bloody trail behind him.
Dirt and grass flew everywhere.
In mere moments, the strongest combatant among the Vampires—Kosso—and the Level 16 Northern Warrior—Grote—had taken each other out.
Kosso, his armor torn open by Grote's blow, collapsed onto the ground, losing his ability to fight for the moment.
From a distance, Li De watched all this, his expression remaining mostly unchanged.
Unless their heart or head was destroyed, Cyclopes, with their Ancient Giant blood, wouldn't die so easily.
Trading one for one—crippling the North's strongest warrior—was not a loss.
However, what happened next caught him off guard.
Grote, who had been smashed a hundred blades away by Kosso, was struggling to stand up again.
"He's still alive??"
The sheer toughness of high level warriors amazed Li De. It was the first time he had seen a creature survive being struck by a multi-ton spiked club and hurled hundreds of blades away—and still able to rise.
Grote's armor was shattered. His face was a mess of dirt and blood, his gray clothes soaked in red.
The searing pain in his chest told him that at least three ribs were broken, and his right arm was also fractured.
Yet despite such heavy injuries, the black eyes of the Northern Warrior remained unwavering.
Steadfast as a mountain.
"Kill!!"
Gripping the greatsword embedded in the ground with his left hand, Grote once again charged toward the collapsed Cyclops Lord, whose blood soaked the earth.
Northern Warriors—fearless, dauntless!
Death was glory!!
At that moment, Li De, overlooking everything, was deeply moved.
No wonder Northern Warriors were considered the greatest among the Three Great Warrior Tribes of Glory.
Such unwavering willpower was truly terrifying.
Thump, thump, thump—
Each step gouged out chunks of grass and dirt from the earth.
Grote's momentum grew ever stronger as he charged.
Meanwhile, the heavily injured Kosso was only just beginning to rise—too slow to stop Grote's oncoming assault.
"Shadow Touch."
"Shadow Prison."
Two soft incantations rang out.
Two massive black shadowy arms rose from the ground, grabbing Grote's legs. At the same time, a shadowy prison formed around him.
Dual casting.
Boom!
Grote's powerful charge slammed into the magical barriers.
Yet the shadow prison remained intact.
Thirty blades away, the figure of Emi appeared.
The spells were clearly the work of this Shadow High Priest, Emi—an expert in shadow magic and cursing.
While he couldn't match the destructive firepower of orthodox mages in direct confrontation, Emi's ability to restrict and weaken enemies far surpassed them.
Seeing Emi, Grote was instantly enraged.
This filthy rat was the one who had trapped him.
His black eyes reddened with blood.
He would kill this damn bastard!!
Deep within him, a hidden power, drawn forth by his indomitable will, began to awaken.
Surging power throbbed inside him.
Under Emi's gaze, the grievously injured Grote's aura grew ever stronger. His wounds began to scab visibly.
The broken arm mended itself in mere moments.
Northern Bloodline—activated.
The Northern Warriors' position as the greatest warriors of Glory wasn't only due to their powerful physiques and innate talents.
It was also because of the warrior bloodline flowing through them.
Northern Bloodline: Activates the power of ancestors sealed within their veins. During activation, the warrior becomes immune to pain, immune to mind-affecting spells, gains a 30% boost to strength, a 500% increase in stamina recovery and life regeneration, and can channel bloodline power to heal physical injuries. Duration: 20 minutes.
While the Northern Bloodline is active, Northern Warriors gain the Trait: Fearlessness.
Fearlessness: All attacks are imbued with Extreme Damage, the stronger the will, the greater the additional damage.
The Fearlessness trait was a powerful ability only available to Transcendent Warriors. Extreme Damage was the hallmark of a transcendent fighter.
It was this dazzling bloodline gift that made Northern Warriors an existence no one could ignore.
Among all the warriors of Glory, only Northern Warriors could wield transcendent power even at lower levels.
Grote swung his greatsword once again.
Screech.
The shadow prison that had bound him shattered instantly under his blade.
A faint glow now surrounded the greatsword.
Extreme Will—the ability of a warrior who had pushed their will to the limit to channel mana into their weapon, granting them terrifying elemental destructive power.
A symbol of transcendent warriors.
Upon seeing Grote activate his bloodline power, Emi's expression changed drastically.
As a Shadow High Priest, he was never suited for direct combat. Facing a bloodline-activated Northern Warrior was suicidal, even for a fool.
Quickly, he tried to meld into the shadows to escape.
But it was too late.
Emi had only become a Level 15 Shadow High Priest six months ago, while Grote had already reached Level 15 more than twenty years ago, when he left the North. The gap between them was huge.
Not to mention, Emi wasn't even specialized in direct combat.
Boom, boom.
The pale glow shattered the shadow prison.
Where Emi had just stood, Grote smashed down his greatsword, gouging a deep pit in the ground.
With the power of Extreme Will, the destructive force of Grote's sword had increased by more than fivefold.
Bang, bang.
Two Thunder Explosions fired from Emi's hands.
Yet as they neared Grote, they were instantly dispersed by the glowing greatsword, causing no harm at all.
The power of Extreme Will—the ability to disrupt magic structures—was the key for transcendent warriors to counter transcendent spellcasters.
At that moment, the last rays of sunlight finally disappeared.
Night had fallen.
Grote completely abandoned the injured Cyclops Lord and locked onto Emi—
His hatred for the traitor burned brighter than anything else.
Emi, exhausted and desperate, was repeatedly blocked whenever he tried to take flight.
Facing a bloodline-activated Northern Warrior, he dared not engage directly—he could only fight while retreating.
If not for his speed, he would already have been slain by Grote's sword.
"All Vampires, move out."
Finally, Li De, who had been calmly observing the situation, issued the order.
In truth, they had already forced all of Grote's cards onto the table.
If they didn't act now, Emi—this newly promoted Level 15 Shadow High Priest—might be killed by the bloodline-activated Grote.
A loss Li De could not afford.
Hearing the command, the Second-generation Bloodline Descendants, who had been impatiently waiting, immediately sprang into action.
They had observed long enough—they needed a battle to prove themselves.
Before leaving, Li De glanced at little Isha. This girl's resilience far exceeded his expectations. The bloody battlefield below didn't seem to unsettle her much.
"Teacher, are you going down?"
Sensing his gaze, Isha looked up, a hint of reluctance in her voice.
"Yes, as the Progenitor of the Vampires, I must take responsibility for my kin.
Just as I must take responsibility for you, my student."
Hearing this, Isha's ruby-red eyes curved in a bright smile as she nodded fiercely.
"Teacher, Isha won't be afraid. Go ahead!"
Li De was satisfied by her response—this obedient, lovable girl was truly precious.
"Stay here and wait for me, alright?"
"Yes, Teacher~"
Though worry flickered in Isha's eyes, she said nothing more.
In her heart, Li De's decisions needed no questioning.
Support him unconditionally—that was enough.
After Li De left, Isha curiously approached the unconscious Northern Valkyrie lying on the grass.
The Valkyrie's body was covered in scars, even more savage than the bark of ancient trees.
Isha stepped closer, her heart aching slightly upon seeing the woman's battered face.
So many scars… they must hurt terribly. Isha remembered how much her hand hurt the last time she accidentally cut herself.
Suddenly, her ruby eyes narrowed slightly, as if sensing something. Her expression shifted subtly.
"Teacher said you need my blood to be reborn..." Isha murmured, furrowing her small brows.
"But... should I save you? Teacher didn't tell me to save you."
"No, I must listen to Teacher."
The two nearby Vampires exchanged confused glances.
Was Miss Isha talking to the unconscious Valkyrie?
They wore strange expressions, wanting to ask but knowing it wasn't their place.
Nothing was happening yet anyway—they could only let the beloved girl favored by the Progenitor act as she wished.
Seemingly talking to herself, Isha suddenly smiled brightly.
"I just awakened a new ability two days ago... Teacher doesn't even know yet. Maybe I can save you!"
A new ability of the Golden Race—
Too bad Li De wasn't present to hear those words.